TAMPA, Fla. — While the 2024 total solar eclipse will be historic and the United States won’t see another one until 2044, kids in Florida still have to attend school.
School calendars don’t list Monday, April 8, as a day off nor have there been any major announcements of districts calling off class as of this writing. This is likely because the state is not in the path of totality, meaning Floridians won’t be able to see the moon completely cover the sun.
In Florida, the upcoming event is considered a partial solar eclipse. The Tampa Bay area will see roughly 60-70% of the sun covered by the moon, according to a NASA eclipse map.
Some parts of far northwest Florida will have a little over 80% coverage.
During the August 2017 solar eclipse, students also still had school. However, some districts gave students an excused absence if they missed the day to watch the eclipse or were traveling somewhere along the path of totality.
Martin County and Hernando County were just two counties in Florida, among many others, that granted an excused absence if they missed school to see the eclipse.
Unlike Florida, Texas is in the path of totality and parts of Central Texas will turn dark in the middle of the afternoon. More than 10 districts have canceled classes. In upstate New York, many schools in the Buffalo area have closed and a few have half days.
More than 15 schools in Missouri canceled classes and a few in Illinois since they will also be in the direct path.
These two areas expect a high volume of visitors who want to get a glimpse of the eclipse. One of the districts in Texas said the decision to make the day a "student holiday" comes after consulting with local city organizations and law enforcement.
